THE CAT. 235 



tive family which had adopted wild kittens 

 migrated to fresh hunting - grounds, such half- 

 tamed animals, if old enough to shift for them- 

 selves, would generally remain behind and re- 

 sume a life of freedom. Of course when man 

 took to agricultural pursuits, and had to live in 

 a fixed dwelling and to store his produce in 

 stacks or granaries, his partnership with the cat 

 became much more stable and profitable. 



It is found in all parts of the world that 

 domestic cats mix freely with native wild ones. 

 Thus in the north of Scotland, even to this 

 day, an unusually large number bear the mark- 

 ings of the indigenous wild cat, and in India 

 and elsewhere the crosses with aboriginal varie- 

 ties have been so frequent as materiall}' to alter 

 the shape and appearance of nearly all the 

 domestic cats. 



Most naturalists hold that our tame cats are 

 descended from several distinct wild species, and 

 certainly the readiness with which they interbreed 

 with wild ones of many kinds supports this view. 

 Dr Gray states that "the normal colour" of our 

 domestic animal "seems to be that of the tabby 

 cat, grey with black dorsal streaks and sub- 

 concentric bands on the sides and thighs ; some- 



